Fox
renews 'gotham,' 'empire' (after only two episodes!) : Fox just announced three early series renewals — and one is
really early.
As expected, the network has picked up
Gotham for a second season and
Brooklyn Nine-Nine for a third season.
But far less expected (at least this soon) is that Fox has renewed hip-hop drama
Empire for a second season.
The move is partly surprising (in that it’s very unusual for a
broadcaster to renew a series so fast, though it occasionally happens on
cable) and yet not given the show’s stunning ratings this week.
Empire‘s premiere episode tied
How to Get Away with Murder as the season’s highest-rated series debut among adults 18-49. The second episode then
stunned the industry by rising in the ratings — which is a very rare occurrence, especially after a strong debut (
Empire is the only drama to rise in Week 2 this season).
Gotham has averaged a 4.2 rating the demo and 10.6 million viewers when including DVR playback,
Empire has averaged a 5.3 in the demo and 11.7 million viewers and
Brooklyn Nine-Nine has a 2.7 in the demo.
The success of all three shows is much-needed at Fox, which ranked
fourth this fall and declined more than any other broadcaster compared
to the previous year.
Gotham declined a bit from its debut, but has settled into a stable-seeming groove on Monday nights.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine has seemed to flourish since moving to Sunday nights this season.
Empire
is still at a stage when most industry insiders would say it’s too
early to bet the farm on the drama, yet the first two weeks were hugely
promising. It’s worth pointing out all three shows were greenlit under
Fox’s previous programming chief Kevin Reilly, who was ousted from the
network last summer and is now taking the reins at TNT.
Still to come on Fox this season is cop drama
Backstrom starring Rainn Wilson as an irascible detective, the intriguingly high concept one-man sitcom
Last Man on Earth starring Will Forte and the limited series thriller
Wayward Pines starring Matt Dillon.
As for the fates of some of Fox’s other dramas, the network
plans to tweak Sleepy Hollow before making a decision on a third season, while
Bones
seems likely to return for season 11. “We’re at the end of our deal on
Emily [Deschanel] and David [Boreanaz],” Fox Chairman and CEO Dana
Walden said at TCA’s winter press tour. “We’re very hopeful
Bones will return. We can’t announce it today because deals aren’t closed, [but] nothing will make us happier.”
Source